Candymaker offers athletes some jacked-up beans as fuel

October 16, 2005|By Anne E. Stein, Special to the Tribune

In the old days, endurance athletes would grab a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or some Fig Newtons, along with water or diluted Coke, to keep their energy up during long workouts. When Gatorade arrived in the late 1960s, things began to change. Today's athlete has access to energy bars, gels and sports drinks to stay hydrated and maintain carbohydrate and electrolyte stores during workouts.

Now the Jelly Belly Candy Co. is joining the $3.2 billion energy-supplement market with Sport Beans. One package of beans, which come in orange and lemon lime, has 100 calories, 60 milligrams of sodium and potassium, 25 grams of carbohydrate and 20 percent of the RDA of vitamins C and E. The numbers are comparable to gels like PowerGel, CLIFShot and GU.

Jelly Belly, which sponsors a pro men's cycling team, said they had heard from marathon runners who use jelly beans because they're portable and quick acting. "It was a natural progression to add some extra benefits to a jelly bean," explained spokeswoman Tomi Holt. "And you can manage portion control by eating a single bean or two, compared with gels, where you have to squirt the whole thing in your mouth."

Sports nutritionists recommend accompanying the beans with water. "We know a sports drink gives you everything you need--electrolytes, carbohydrates and fluid, which is the most important thing you need in any situation where you can become dehydrated or depleted," said Monique Ryan, who works with endurance athletes.

Julie Burns of SportFuel, who works with local pro athletes, said she prefers products minus corn syrup and coloring. "The good things I see in Sport Beans is that they taste delicious and provide sodium, potassium and vitamins C and E, which are antioxidants. They're portable fuel, so depending on the athlete, they may be useful."

One package of beans costs about 99 cents. Look for them at local sports and convenience stores or online at JellyBelly.com.